Amazon’s Crucible Is Available Now

Amazon is making its first major push into AAA games began today with the release of the hero shooter Crucible. The free-to-play game is available through Amazon for PC or via Steam.

Crucible is a third-person hero shooter, so it has some elements similar to others in the genre. It adds a PvE element to the mix, though, spawning beasts to defeat throughout the world that help you rank up your team for when they run into other human players. It has 10 characters, each with their own variety of abilities. The characters largely don’t fall into familiar archtypes like tank or support. Instead, their abilities let them plug into multiple functions in the heat of battle. Instead of ammo drops, each character has their own weapons and abilities with cooldown timers. You can also use the environment to set traps.

It’s launching with three game modes: the capture point Harvester Command, team doubles Alpha Hunters, and PvE-focused Heart of Hives. While it has some elements of battle royale like care packages and a tightening play area “ring,” it’s not a typical battle royale. However, it does include a battle pass to unlock cosmetic rewards.